Ole Miss Football a Contender for No. 1 Available Transfer Portal Prospect

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels remain active in the NCAA Transfer Portal with the program retooling the roster in Oxford ahead of the 2025 season.

After reeling in a handful of newcomers to this point during the spring window, Kiffin and Co. have their sights set on multiple targets in the free agent market.

One available transfer the Ole Miss Rebels have been linked to is South Florida's Bernard Gooden.

An All-AAC Honorable Mention selection in 2024, Gooden logged 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks during the 2024 season with USF.

The talented defensive lineman officially placed his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal this week and has hit the ground running in his recruitment process.

Gooden took a multi-day trip to Baton Rouge this weekend with a visit to the LSU Tigers getting wrapped up on Saturday, sources tell Ole Miss Rebels On SI.

Now, it's Kiffin and the Rebels looking to get the No. 1 available transfer to Oxford for a visit from the coveted transfer.

Ole Miss remains linked to the sought-after transfer, but it was set to be a battle against Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers, along with other Power Four schools.

Now, despite the Rebels expressing interest and battling for a visit, Gooden has since committed to the LSU Tigers prior to Saturday's visit to Oxford.

The Rebels have also been tied to a talented defensive back transfer with the program generating buzz.

The New Target: Houston's AJ Haulcy

The defensive backfield remains a slot that the program will attack the Transfer Portal for.

“A lot of work to do in the secondary,” Kiffin said during Spring Camp. “There’s so many new pieces. Even though there were new pieces last year, they had played a lot.

"You’d seen them start in the SEC, a lot of returning guys. Right now, I feel there’s a lot of guys in new schemes here, especially the back seven defensively, that need to get used to that.

“So we do a lot of reps and a lot of different situations to continue to expose guys to that so we can evaluate them.”

Now, the Rebels have been linked to the No. 1 safety available in the NCAA Transfer Portal: Houston's AJ Haulcy.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder totaled 74 tackles, five interceptions and 13 pass breakups during the 2024 season with the Cougars on his way to First Team All-Big 12 honors.

He's quickly emerged as one of the top prospects available with Ole Miss now set to battle against the Miami Hurricanes for his services.

According to multiple reports, Haulcy visited the Hurricanes on Wednesday for a visit to the Sunshine State.

Fast forward to Thursday and the Ole Miss Rebels staff took a trip to Houston to visit with Haulcy in person.

It's a significant development with Kiffin and Co. now looking to enter the "Haulcy Sweepstakes" with multiple potential suitors.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.